10 Easy Ways to Reduce Stress and Anxiety When TTC
When you’re ready to have kiddos and you’re actively on the baby making train, it can truly feel like a full time job to keep your mind and anxiety levels at bay. Statistically speaking, couples ages 19 to 26 have a 92% chance to conceive after one year, and a 98% chance after two years. If you’re between the ages of 35-39, couples have an 82% chance of conception after one year and 90% after two years.
Despite knowing these numbers and being loaded up on information, it still might not take the edge off while you’re in the process of trying to conceive. To lighten the mental load and reduce stress when you’re trying to conceive, we’ve put together ten ways to lower your anxiety to provide you ease through the process.
10 Easy Ways to Reduce Stress and Anxiety When You’re Trying to Conceive
#1. Keep a journal
Remember when you were in junior high and your English teacher gave everyone a free writing exercise so that you could have a brain dump of all your thoughts and let the words flow? Or maybe you kept a diary with a tiny locket throughout your formative years, holding all your delicate emotions, trials and tribulations in its keep. Either way, keeping a journal while you’re trying to conceive can be extremely therapeutic and resourceful. During the conception process, you might find that you’re feeling a rollercoaster of emotions and keeping a journal is exactly what you need to have a safe place to process your thoughts.
#2. Opt out of the ttc forums for a while
While there’s a sense of affirmation that comes from knowing that others are going through your same experiences, spending time on ttc message boards can be overwhelming and consuming. These forums were created to give a sense of community and can be helpful for a variety of reasons but when you’re hyper aware of all your emotions and symptoms, it can actually heighten your anxiety and stress levels. Take a step back from the message boards and embrace the turns of your own conception journey.
#3. Support yourself with a fertility supplements
We created The Fertility Kit for anyone that’s worried about ovulation, who’s trying to get pregnant and who’s really looking for that oomph in optimizing your fertility. The Fertility Kit features three supplements: Active CoQ-10, The SoulShine Ovary Elixir, Ultimate Prenatal by Magnolia Wellness, plus a seasonal candle and Palo Santo bundle to set the mood and elevate the overall vibe of your environment.
#4. Ground yourself in nature
One of the best things you can do when you’re feeling anxious is connect to nature and simply take a step outside. This can be as easy as taking off your shoes and stepping barefoot into grass, soaking up the sun and grounding yourself into the earth. Try this exercise when your mind is racing, and notice how connected your body will feel even within a few moments of being outside. If you’re feeling the urge to move, taking nature walks are profoundly impactful to your qi, or life force. Taking a 20 minute walk will circulate your qi, lymph and blood to help with any irritability, fatigue or feelings of being helpless or stuck.
#5. Have sex for fun
You might already know this but let’s say it anyway. When you’re trying to conceive, having sex with your partner can feel like a task, or a meeting you’ve scheduled, maybe even like a box that needs to be checked. And while that may be true and timing the deed is important, it’s also crucial to have sex - just to have sex! Connecting and being intimate with your person outside of your ovulation window is a natural stress reliever and highly encouraged to soothe your anxiety.
#6. Schedule plans to look forward to while you’re in the two week wait period
The two weeks between ovulation and waiting to take a pregnancy test can be excruciatingly long. Make the most of that window and schedule fun activities to look forward to. Take the time to plan and cook up that elaborate recipe you’ve been waiting to try, or immerse yourself in a new book or podcast. Book a weekend away with your partner and get out of town for a few days. Having these little pockets of fun to look forward to will be the perfect amount of stress relief that you didn’t know you needed.
#7. Find your endorphins through acupuncture
One of our most favorite ways to reduce anxiety levels while trying to conceive is through acupuncture. When acupuncture is performed, it triggers your nervous system to release beta-endorphins which in turn, act like a magnet to the receptors in your body that perceive pain. Beta endorphins rush into the system and create a beautiful sensation of pleasure and relaxation. You experience endorphin rushes after exercise, after having orgasms and even after having a deep belly laugh. With acupuncture, your endorphin levels can be elevated for up to twenty-four hours after an acupuncture session - which is pretty ideal when you’re feeling anxiety.
#8. Consult a fertility specialist
To expand on the tools and options beyond what your OB is providing you, it’s completely fair to get support and a second opinion with a fertility specialist or a reproductive endocrinologist. The extra blood work to look into your FSH and AMH levels may be useful and informative, and answer any outstanding questions you may have.
#9. Put a pause on coffee
Coffee is designed to be a stimulant and when you’re already feeling stressed and anxious, your morning joe can amplify your mood and make your stress levels worse. If you’re feeling iffy about the caffeine headache, transition to green tea for a few days and when you’re ready, start your morning off with hot water and lemon. This simple blend will soothe your digestion and give your nervous system a much needed hug. When you’re looking to have a treat in the mornings, try this vegan golden milk recipe or gift yourself this coffee alternative.
#10. Trust and flow
Our bodies are miraculous. This vessel that you live in works everyday to pump blood through your veins, to fill your lungs with oxygen and to fire off the neurons in your brain to read and comprehend this very sentence. Conception can take time and it can be so easy to get lost in the comparison game when you’re feeling low. ‘But she got pregnant accidentally’ or ‘they got pregnant after trying once,’ can be brutal mind traps to fall into. Yes, some couples have an easier time at trying to conceive and yet, that is no reflection on you and your ability to make a child. Focus on how brilliant and wonderful your body is, exactly as it is in this form. Practice gratitude for your heartbeat and know that if you need support, we’re always here for you.